Opinion: Shutting the world out of locking yourselves in?

'An impressive gated development of luxury homes' is the claim of the advertising banner. Yes folks, one of the more depressing features of the London housing market is increasingly on display here in Maidenhead.

Build some posh homes, surround them with a high wall or railings and control access via a gated entrance. I know they say an Englishman’s home is his castle but, in the absence of a moat, most gated developments sound more like prisons to me.

People who want to lock themselves away in gated developments often claim they value the added security they offer.

But those who want to get in will always manage to do so by tailgating residents or otherwise. And once inside the ne’er do wells are at liberty to do as they please within the familiar prison surroundings, safe from the scrutiny of the majority law-abiding passers-by.

Some people believe gated developments are little different from regular cul-de-sacs. But those residential roads are open to most vehicles and are often pedestrian thoroughfares.

By creating their private islands of supposed tranquillity, the inmates are absolving themselves of responsibility for problems in society at large outside the gates.

It is classic anti-social behaviour and attracts like-minded people. So one positive is that it does keep such people from being among the rest of us who happily live in our wonderful society, problems and all.

Gated developments are not for me. But I do wonder what their inmates’ porridge tastes like.
Somewhat bitter methinks.